Wednesday, 25 June 2014

A
collaborative effort between the founders of the seminal electro
label Raster Noton, Alva Noto and Bytone was always going to yield
interesting results, but Diamond Version's sleazy electro may still
take many by storm. Blending minimalistic edm and techno the sound is
as intelligent as it is accessible. The duo's début album 'CI'
(Corporate Identity), follows on from a series of five 12″ singles
that have been previously released on Mute records. Despite Olaf
Bender and Carsten Nicolai founding Raster Noton in 1996, it wasn’t
until they formed Diamond Version that they would collaborate
together musically.

Yes there is still that ever-resent sense
of avant post-techno that the duo and their label are known for, but
it has a fundamental melodic subtlety to it that traces its lineage
back to the likes of The Normal and the bands of the late 70's
synthpop underground. Throw in some excellent guest vocalists such as
Leslie Winer, Kyoka, and Neil Tennant on the songs 'The Blank
Action', 'Feel The Freedom', and 'Were You There?' to break up the
industrial-influenced instrumentals and you have a very diverse and
gratifying release.

The album seems to pull influences from
every direction, stripping them down and giving them a typically
Raster Noton repackaging. The end result is something that
encompasses the lineage of electronic music in a very 21st
century way.

The production is typically slick and minimal
sitting somewhere between the style of Kraftwerk and Aphex Twin. It's
a clean and no-frills approach that really compliments the various
styles at work on the album without dulling their edges.

This
is a release that due in particular to the vocal collaborations will
expose this release beyond the typical avant garde audience of its
creators. It's a release that on one hand is beard-strokingly
experimental and yet on the other is surprisingly accessible.
Hopefully this won't be the only full-length release from the duo and
they'll continue to explore new and interesting directions.